A Dog's Tail
by xXsummerdaymoonXx
Summary: When Felicity wanders outside of her pretty iron fenced yard, are the street dogs the only thing to really be scared of? A cross-over fic of Hetalia and Lady and the Tramp with 101 Dalmatians thrown in the mix somewhere. GerIta pairing mostly.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

The rain was coming down in torrents by the time Feliciano managed to escape work. He stumbled out onto the pavement, wrestling with his umbrella, storage tube, and briefcase. Situated beneath a curtain of dry air, the young Italian man let out a soft whine sparing a daring glance at his watch. The minute hand was creeping closer to the departure time of his train, and the next one to come through was at least half an hour after.

"Fratello'll kill me for real if I'm late again!" Biting his lip, he raced off down the flooded sidewalk struggling to keep all his items situated. As he neared the train station, a foot slipped out from beneath him and he stumbled to remain standing. His storage tube clattered on the concrete, rolling away from the station with the panicky Italian right on its heels.

The tube crashed to a stop against a soggy cardboard box hidden in the shadow of an alleyway. As Feliciano scrambled to pick it up, his fingers just brushing against the container's strap, his eyes caught movement shaking the sides of the box. Fearing the worse, the young man quickly pulled his hand away with a startled gasp. However, the box continued to shake about, and curiosity eventually won Feliciano over. He reached back hesitantly, gently pulling away the folded top flaps of the box.

A little black nose popped up into the dry air beneath Feliciano's umbrella, followed by a dirt little head of curly fur. The young Italian gave a soft coo at the puppy staring up at him, grinning when it took to licking at his fingers. Behind him, he could just hear the whistle of the train blowing to signal its final warning.

He jumped to his feet, looking back in a panic at the station. If he ran now, he might just make it… But whimpers at his feet caused the Italian to look back. The puppy had tumbled the box over, spilling itself out onto the concrete and straight into a puddle. Sparing one final look back at the station, Feliciano gave in and knelt back down to brush back one of the large, curly ears from the wiggling dog's face. "…I'm sure Fratello will understand. I can't just leave you out here!"

Swinging the tube over his shoulder, Feliciano carefully scooped the puppy up and rushed off for the dry haven of the station. He just barely made it to the train, almost falling as he made a mad dash into the train. The Italian managed to claim a seat for himself, abandoning his work supplies on the opposite seat, and moved to place the small dog on his lap. Feliciano spared it a smile, the wiggling dear lapping eagerly at the slender fingers. "Aren't you just so precious? I'll get you all cleaned up, a pretty little bow, and I'm sure Lovi will fall in love with you too!"

Lovino was waiting for his brother at the station, occasionally checking his watch and tapping his foot. He glanced up at the train pulling into the station and folded his arms across his chest. "About time," he cursed beneath his breath. It came to a stop and the typical crowd of the evening shift filtered into the small town station. When Lovino caught sight of Feliciano trotting into the station, he dead panned at the furry bundle in his brother's arms.

"…oh FUCK no! Feli! What the hell is that!"

Startling at his brother's loud voice, the Italian quickly recovered and raced over. "Isn't she adorable?! I found her outside of the station back in the city! I couldn't just leave her be, Lovi! She would have drowned in all that rain!" He gave Lovino a quick pout as he cuddled the puppy close. "Plus, you already have Giovanni! Can't I keep her? I promise I'll take such good care of her that you won't even know she's there!"

Feliciano wiggled lightly with a soft whine as he watched his brother glare at the dog in his hands. Eventually, Lovino sighed and that was all Feliciano needed to hear. "Grazie! Grazie!" He quickly moved to hug the hot-tempered Italian, causing Lovino to fire off in rapid succession curses as the new member of the family took to licking the Italian's face.

And that was how the newly dubbed "annoyance" found herself seated in the Italian brother's kitchen, watching the boys figure out the best way to bathe their new member. She turned away from them, glancing up at the pampered tabby cat lounging on a kitchen chair. He looked back at her, lazily flicking his tail about before heaving a sigh.

"…ever had a bath before?" The puppy shook his head at the cat's question, heaving another sigh from him. "Figured." Hopping down, he walked over to her. "Name's Giovanni, the angry one's my pet." Giovanni plopped down to lazily lick at a paw, constantly watching the dog. "I suppose that means the loud one is yours… It's alright, he's nice in a strange way. At least his heart's in the right spot." Giovanni looked up, slinking back to the kitchen table when a shadow cast over them. "Hope you enjoy the _bath_."

The puppy yipped as she found herself being hoisted up into the air. Looking back, she saw Feliciano smiling warmly at her. "Hello, little lady. Let's get you all cleaned up and then we can go take a nap! You'd like that, right?" When she licked at his hands in response, the Italian chuckled walking over to the sink. "Such a happy little girl. That's it! You can be just like me, my little Felicity!"

Romano rolled his eyes, sparing his brother a final glance before scooping his cat up into his own arms. "Just get her cleaned up, Feli. I'm going for my siesta."

Smiling, Feliciano looked down at Felicity. He ran his long, slender artist fingers through her fur before lowering the pup down into the warm water. "Tomorrow I'll take you to go see Ludwig. He's really good with doggies, you'll like him~ He'll make sure we get you all set up right, ve…"

Looking up from the water, Felicity weakly waver her nub of a tail beneath the suds. Loud one or not, the cat had been right about the human being a kind hearted one.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_I got really hooked on Disney movies during finals for college, and well...lets just say Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians got stuck on repeat Dx This story was spawned in turn from that. I'll post a few chapters, still writing more. Tell me what you think people and I'll keep updating! Yay Disney cross-overs!_

_I don't own anything Hetalia or anything from 101 Dalmatians and Lady and the Tramp_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

It was a quiet afternoon in the German's house. Ludwig sat lounging in his chair, glasses barely hanging on his nose as he peered over his newspaper at the three dogs lying about by his feet. Aster, Berlitz, and Blackie all occupied their respective places, and yet at the same time managed to get all tangled up in each other's legs and tails. The young engineer couldn't help but chuckle at his dogs. He was just folding up his paper when the door bell rang and sent his hounds running with deafening barks. Only Blackie stayed behind, slow with her aging joints and far more obedient than the boys. Yet her tail was still quick to wag as her master leaned down to give the elder shepherd a pat to her head.

Walking over to the door, Ludwig frowned as he pulled the doberman and retriever away by their collars. "Down, down!" Pushing them aside, he finally managed to open the door. Outside on his porch stood the second half to his troublesome equation.

Feliciano, the neighbor three houses down from him and bane of his existence since their by-chance meeting at school, now stood holding a squirming, stubby-tailed puppy against his chest. "Ludwig, look what I found!" Beaming, the Italian held the happy dog up to his neighbor's face. "You gotta help me! I was walking home from work when I just passed by this box sitting in the road. Just sitting there! And in it was this little abandoned puppy just sitting there, whining up at me with her big round eyes, and well…we couldn't just leave her sitting all alone out there in the elements!" Frowning, Feliciano gave a soft whine. "But I'm not very good with dogs, and Lovi said I have to take care of her myself because he isn't going to. So I though, Ludwig's really good with dogs, so here I am!"

"…" sighing softly, still trying to catch up with the Italian's rambling, Ludwig gently rubbed the bridge of his nose. He reached out, taking Felicity from his neighbor to hold it before him and get a better look at the dog. She was a little spaniel girl, her copper colored fur just curling out at the end and with a set of paws and big fluffy ears she would surely grow into. "…If you're not good with dogs, why not just give her to a shelter…? I'm sure someone would adopt them."

Ludwig heard Feliciano gasp sharply before Felicity was yanked from his hands and crushed back against the Italian's chest. "I couldn't! All those big dogs would eat her alive! If you can't help me, I don't know what I'll do! Please?!"

Raising a slender eyebrow, Ludwig gave his neighbor a long stare before he gave a sigh of defeat. Stepping back, he motioned for the other to walk in. "Let's see what we can do then."

Feliciano grinned ear to ear, rushing into the German's house. He was greeted with Aster and Berlitz weaving in and around his legs, panting and tails wagging like mad at the Italian. He managed to spare them each an ear scratch before rushing off after Ludwig to the living room.

It was a spacious room, designed with simple characteristics that suited the German. As they entered, Blackie glanced up from her pillow, eyeing over her master and Feliciano before huffing and plopping her head back down. The boys barreled in afterwards, barking and continuing to rush about the Italian's legs.

There Ludwig took the small spaniel from Feliciano again, holding her up and away from the big dogs pinning for the copper-haired man's attention. He couldn't help but spare a small smile at the wiggling pup as she licked at his wrists and hands. "Well, she's friendly at least…"

"Isn't she?! She was just so sweet and timid when I found her." Chuckling, Feliciano wrapped his slender artistic fingers around one of Berlitz's ears, the big dog resting against his leg enjoying the affection. "She's my little Feli just like me! My little Felicity, ve~"

Of course his neighbor would find that adorable, Ludwig thought as he put the puppy down in his chair. She spared him a few more licks to his fingers before the German managed to pocket his hands. "You should still take them to a vet, but… I doubt she'll hurt you any more than you'll hurt her. You're going to need some puppy chow in the mean time." The two stood in silence for a moment before Ludwig sighed and caved to his neighbor's wide-eyed stare. "…come on then, I think I have some from when Aster was small."

"Grazi, Ludwig!" the Italian shouted before racing off towards the kitchen.

Left on the chair, Felicity nearly jumped out of her fur when two large noses suddenly came into her sight. With a startled yelp, she tried to dive down in between the cushions of the chair, popping her head up at the sound of a soft laugh.

"Boys, calm down. You're scaring her." Looking back, Felicity began to wag her little nub of a tail at the sight of the shepherd's graying muzzle. "Come here, kind. They mean you no harm." Blackie gave a small, encouraging smile as the puppy crawled towards her. Resting her front paws on the chair, the shepherd moved to gently take Felicity between her jaws and lift her down to the floor. "There you go. Such a little lieb, you'll like the Italian. He can be loud, but he's very kind."

"He is!" Aster jumped before them, startling the puppy to rush between Blackie's legs. The retriever's tongue lolled from between his jaws as his tail rushed back and forth. "He always knows just where to scratch and has tons of treats for us when he comes to visit Master! You couldn't find a better human!"

Heavy footsteps caused the little girl to look up again to find Ludwig walking back towards them. He gave both of his dogs a steady pat to the head before scooping up the spaniel and walking back to the kitchen. "Let's get you set up, little girl."

Felicity was handed over to Feliciano as soon as the German brought her to the kitchen. By the Italian's feet, a large bag of puppy chow sat. Feliciano grinned up at his blonde neighbor as he cuddled Felicity to his chest. "Grazie, grazie, Ludwig! I don't know what I'd do without you!"

Ludwig only nodded, pushing off of the door frame to let Feliciano pass through. "Just make sure to take care of her…" The Italian nodded before he rushed off, out of the house and down the street. Ludwig stood behind, watching his neighbor race off with a gentle shake of his head. He looked down to see Blackie staring back up at him and gave the shepherd a quick head pat. "…I have this sinking feeling that this isn't the last we've seen of those two.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

And oh, how right he was.

Feliciano seemed to have made it his mission in life to constantly pester the young German man. Be it pestering questions about what food he should by, or a begged obedience lesson, the Italian always found time to stop by with Felicity in tow, trotting by her owner's heel like the good little lady that she was with a green bow tied around her neck. The visits eventually became so frequent that Ludwig eventually gave up trying to stop the Italian and took to training the spaniel while ignoring the copper haired man taking a siesta on his couch.

It was an afternoon just like the others, almost four months down the line, Felicity sat on the back deck of Ludwig's house overlooking his lawn. Feliciano had opted to take a nap, claiming Ludwig's couch once again despite the German's protests, and Ludwig had let Felicity out to play while he attempted to get some work done during the quiet hours. She had grown into her large ears and paws, a beautiful little lady with a shinning copper-colored coat. Sitting patiently, with paws hanging over the top step, the young spaniel watched Berlitz and Aster race around the large, grassy area while barking their fool heads off.

"If you asked I'm sure they would let you play with them."

Looking up, Felicity began to wag her little stub of a tail. Blackie gave her a light-hearted smile as her tail swished about in its own content rhythm. The elder dog leaned down to spare a gentle lick to the young dog's ear before she settled down on her stomach beside her. "They're quite fond of you. We all are."

Nuzzling up to the old shepherd, Felicity settled against the warm fur beside her. "It's alright. My master would just give me another bath." She gave a lazy yawn before settling her head down on the shepherd's paws. "Plus it's siesta time, ve~."

"Like master like dog," Blackie chuckled, resting her own head down beside the spaniel. An ear perked up as barking filtered into the fenced yard and she gently lift her head to glance at the fence. Berlitz and Aster also caught the barking and rushed at the gate door, barking back like eager puppies. "…honestly, those two will never learn to leave street dogs alone." Blackie went to stand, hesitating as her joints protested the movement while Felicity jumped to her paws beside her.

"Are they nice? I want to say hi!" She raced off before Blackie could stop the young dog, and came to stand beside the boys' heels. "Guys, who is it? Who is it? Are they friends?"

Berlitz acknowledge the little spaniel girl first, sitting down with his nub of a tail wiggling in the grass. The doberman looked down at her, his tongue lolling out in a sloppy grin. "They're just street dogs, Lieben. Go back to Blackie; a libeling like you shouldn't be associated with dogs like that."

"They're _wild dogs_," Aster seemed to be eyeing something down from between cracks in the wooden gate. He spared a glance back to Felicity, chuckling at the clueless tilt in the spaniel's head. "Master says they're dangerous and shouldn't be trusted. Not that we can't handle them, Süß. We've gotta protect our little lady, after all!"

Felicity could only tilt her head farther to the side at the two older males. She gave a light yip as she flipped to the side, having turned too far, and lay there when the first dog popped his head up above the gate.

He was a big animal, all white with two mocking eyes of a dark red coloration. He spotted Felicity lying there, and his crooked grin sent the spaniel scurrying to her paws with her head lowered. "And I take you listen to everything your _Master_ says, right?" The dog barked out a laugh at Aster's growl, but continued to stare at Felicity as Berlitz moved to stand over her. "Awww such big boys protecting the little lady. Listen, kleine dame, if you ever want to run with a bunch of real dogs feel free to just hop your fence. The awesome me'll show you a good time."

"Gil!" A collie's head popped up next, his golden fur standing out against his white in the sunlight. "We're going to miss dinner if you keep hassling every Madame we pass." The collie glanced down into the yard, smiling at Felicity. "Despite his lack of flare, mademoiselle, the offer does still stand. If you ever feel the need to…trot with the real hounds…feel free to come crash our party any time." And with a wink, the collie slipped back down; claws clicking on the pavement signaled his departure.

Aster and Berlitz held their positions until the white dog dropped down with a huff and ran off after his friend. With a soft sigh, Aster plopped down in the grass and lowered his ears. "…street dogs," he scoffed. He spared Felicity a small look as she stepped out from between Berlitz's legs. "Trust me, Liebe, stay away from dogs like that. They're bad news."

Behind them, Ludwig called the dogs in from the house and Felicity was left by the gate as the boys raced off towards their master.

She sat, head cocked to the side as she stared at the gate. "Dangerous and bad news," she whispered to herself in confusion. Sure the dog had looked…different… But he hadn't seemed dangerous, just strange. A pair of hands wrapped around her waist and hoisted her into the air, startling the spaniel until she heard a familiar voice.

"That lazy brother of mine… How could he be taking a nap without you?" Wiggling around, Felicity stared happily up at her master's twin. The other Italian lightly rolled his eyes before giving the spaniel a gentle scratch behind the ears. "Come on; let's go collect Feli and we'll take you home."

Felicity snuggled deep into Lovino's arms, still looking back at the gate until they entered the house with her ears hanging down.

_Street Dogs_…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

Felicity lay sprawled out on her front porch, idly watching the gate of the Italian brother's house. Giovanni was napping beneath the hanging swing that decorated the porch, curled up and breathing deep in the cool shade. Droopy ears twitched at the sound of raised voices, and Felicity turned just in time to see Feliciano rush out with Lovino right on his heels.

"Do we really have to leave them?" Whining, Feliciano stopped to kneel down and run his hand over Felicity's head. She gave a light lick to his finger tips, earning a giggle from the Italian. "Can I just stay home? You don't really need me at the meeting! You always handle my stuff anyways!"

"All the more reason you especially need to go!" Slamming the door shut behind him, Lovino shot his brother a look before making his way to the car. "I can't keep doing both your projects and mine! It's only for a few days, anyways. Plus, you got your damn German boyfriend's brother to come check up on them anyways."

Felicity watched her owner whine before peeling away from her and rushing after Lovino. "Lovi, he's not by boyfriend! He's my friend, just like you and Antonio!" The little spaniel dog gave a chuckle as she settled back down on the porch. Lovino's face had made it to several shades of red before she had turned away, and now the Italian was sputtering nonsense while slamming his car door.

"That tomato bastard is _not_ my friend! Now get in the car or we'll miss our train!" With a huff, Lovino glanced over to the spaniel siblings resting on the porch and his frown softened. "…they'll be fine… Giovanni, keep Feli in line!"

As the car pulled away, Felicity sighed and glanced over to the cat stirring under the swing. "I wish they would have left us at Blackie's house. It's so scary here all alone!" She got up to move beside Giovanni, curling up with a soft whimper and earning a lick to her nose. "Do you think the bird man'll stay with us tonight?"

"Doubt it and hope not. He's worse than Meathead 1." Rolling his eyes away, the tabby gave a light yawn before falling back asleep beside Felicity. "Last thing I need is my own _house_ smelling like them."

Felicity put her head down with a softer whine, looking up and over at the fence. She watched from her hiding spot as neighbors walked past the Italians' house as if it were invisible to them. Several familiar faces passed by, ranging from their neighbor Antonio to the mailman and beyond. But still no comforting smells of her owner or loud Italian voices came to calm her, and she realized how truly lonely the house could be without the Vargas twins.

As twilight came about, Giovanni had moved inside the house through the little door in the back. Felicity opted to remain on the porch, wagging her little tail as strangers wandered past the house only to droop her ears as they kept walking. Hope failing her, she eventually made to walk into the house, when a loud German voice wafted down the street. She jumped to her paws, rushing at the gate and barking as she ran in excited circles when the Bird-man made his way towards the gate.

"Doggie!"

The young voice caused Felicity to skid to a halt, and she plopped her butt down to look up at the gate. Indeed, the silver-haired German was smiling down at her with a twinge of sympathy, but there was a new face with the man in the form of a toddler clinging to the man's shoulders and neck. "That's right, little dude. We're watching Feli's doggie."

Making his way into the gate, Gilbert carefully detached the child from his side and bent over to help his son stand. He stood back, hands on his hips while carefully watching Felicity sniff around the young Fritz before eagerly licking at the child's face, egged on by the child's laughs. "Hey now, don't want your mom to get mad at me for you smellin' like a dog." Chuckling, the albino kneeled down to give Felicity a pat before picking his son back up. "Come on girl, let's go inside. Mini-me is probably gonna pass out on me soon."

That was how the spaniel found herself sprawled across Gilbert's lap as the man idly flicked through the channels, his fingers rubbing just that right spot behind her floppy ear. Upstairs, Giovanni had opted to stay with the now sleeping Fritz, child and cat tucked up together in the guest room. Eventually finding a channel he was content with, Gilbert tossed the remote to one side of the couch and leaned back.

"This is the life, right girl?" Chuckling, the albino glanced down at the spaniel staring back up at him. "The old ball and chain's out for the night with her brother, I got a beautiful lady to keep me company, and something good is finally on the TV." Swinging his feet up onto the coffee table, Gilbert leaned his head back with a soft sigh and exhausted laugh. "And all I want to do now that the kid is asleep is pass out! Is this what old age feels like?"

Felicity watched Gilbert for a moment, tilting her head as she heard him begin to gently snore. With a little stretch, she jumped down from the couch and trotted outside, fully intent to find that long lost bone she had misplaced a week ago.

Instead, she found three dogs looking back at her through the iron fence of her master's yard.

The spaniel froze, halfway through her dog-door as her eyes connected with the bright red of the white shepherd from before. The large dog spared her a slanted grin, stopping where he stood to look back at her. "Aw look, it's the _Little Liebe_! Need a break from the domestic life of the collar club? We got room for one more party member!"

Felicity's eyes shifted further down the path, noticing the other two dogs staring her down. She recognized the golden collie from before, his long tail wagging as he smiled softly at the spaniel.

"It's alright, amie. Gil's all bark and no bite." The collie's voice managed to coax Felicity into the yard.

The Shepherd pushed the collie out of the way in his excitement, ignorant to the other's eyeroll. "Come on, it'll be fun! We get the whole town to ourselves at this time, nobody bothers us!"

"…a-are you sure?" Creeping towards the gate, Felicity spared a glance back to the house as if expecting to see if Giovanni was glaring out a window. Turning back to the dogs, she weakly began to wiggle her nubby tail. "Well….it does sound fun…"

"That's the spirit, fillette." Chuckling, the collie moved down along the fence. He paused just beside the gate and hopping up to his back feet, slipped open the hinge lock on the gate with his muzzle. As it swung open, the two hounds stood grinning at Felicity. "Just through the gate."

Sparing a final glance back to the house, Felicity tucked back her ears and slowly trotted outside her fence. She stood with a light cower, hips and rump tilted down until she was almost sitting, and stared up at the larger dogs before her. They only smiled back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

Stretching out with a content yawn, Giovanni cast the small sleeping human a glance. He purred softly, quickly nuzzling the toddler's hand before jumping down to trot off through his house. The tabby cat flicked his ears about at the unusual silence. By the time he reached the living room where the albino was napping, he was scowling.

Giovanni jumped up onto the couch, walking onto the human's chest and gave the man a pointed glare. "…such a bad caretaker. Get up and feed me!" Flexing his claws, his purr started back up when the man shot up with an annoyed shout.

"The he…..Cat!" Gilbert scowled, detaching the cat from his shirt and holding the yowling cat in the air from under the arm pits. "What do you want, demon? Huh? Why couldn't the sweet little girl wake me up, why'd I get the nasty cat?" Sighing, Gilbert dropped the cat back down on the couch and stood up looking around. He caught the time and sighed.

"God damn it, that late already?"

Giovanni watched the human wander out of the room, calling for the spaniel as he went. Rolling his eyes, the tabby-cat glanced over to the window, his ears twitching at the sight of the fat neighborhood cat peering back at him. With a sigh, he hopped down and walked over to the front door, nudging open Felicity's doggy door with a beep from the charm on his collar. "What do you want, bastardo."

Bello quickly moved to nuzzle the other cat despite Giovanni's groan of protest. The tabby pushed the over-affectionate cat aside and moved to hop up to the swinging chair and soon the two-toned cat was quick to join his neighbor. Sighing softly, the tabby lay there lightly seething as the neighborhood cat took to grooming Giovanni's head.

"Was there a _reason_ for your visit?"

"Mm?" Pausing, the Spanish cat looked up in thought. "Oh! Si!" With a happy purr, he settled back down to curl around Giovanni. "I saw the little mariposa out on the streets a few hours ago… I tried to ge-"

"Impossible," scoffing, Giovanni glared nowhere in particular as he settled in against the squishy cat. "She's probably stuck under the porch again knowing her and just fell asleep. Felicity isn't even brave enough to face her shadow let alone the streets."

Putting his head on the other's, Bello glanced over the surrounding gate to the outside sidewalk. "But its true, mi tomate. I saw her passing my house but when I tried to tell you earlier I couldn't get in your house!" He rolled away as Giovanni shot up. Laying on his back, the Spanish cat stared at the other's panicked expression.

"….You mean she's actu… _WHAT_?!" Screeching, Giovanni jumped down from the chair. He quickly turned back to Bello with a hiss. "Are you coming?! Knowing that idiota she'll get picked up by the pound!" Bello hopped down, quickly brushing against the tabby and ignored his yowl as he trotted to the hedgerow growing through the fence.

"Don't worry, mi tomate, we'll find her before any animal catcher even sees her." Quickly dipping beneath the bush, Bello led the way through a small hole beneath the fence, waiting for Giovanni on the sidewalk. "The pound is no place for any animal."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

The city streets at night reminded the young spaniel of her owner's models in his work study. The buildings stretched up to the inky sky splattered with stars, adding their own artificial lights to the weakly start lit night. Ducking her head, she cast a hesitant glance to the collie trotting along her side. He turned to smile at her, and laughed when she jumped and ducked her head further.

Looking up, Francis glanced over to the shepherd with a smooth smile. "Hey, Reich. Where are we treating the little belle?" He chuckled as Felicity glanced up to the two of them. "With such a ange accompanying us, we must simply show her the best this city has to show, no?"

The shepherd glanced over, and then looked down to Felicity. He couldn't help but chuckle as her little nub of a tail began to wag. "Like there isn't anything less than awesome in this city." Reich paused a moment, putting his nose to the air. Felicity cocked her head, watching the scarred shepherd sniff about, and quickly began to wag her tail again as he turned to look down an alley.

"Smells like that William's place is still open?" He already started to trot across the street. Whining softly, Felicity raced after the two larger dogs when they began to leave her behind on the opposite sidewalk. She cowered close to the collie's legs as they walked down the alleyway, watching the shadows with her droopy ears dangerously close to being stepped on.

The trio came up to the back of a store, the smell of brewed coffee and bake good drifting out to the back. Felicity's ears perked up at the sound of French echoing out the windowless door, followed by a soothing English accent just peppered with the romance language's accent. She cringed however at the loud English answering the other.

Francis shook his head, walking over to the door to lightly scratch at the wood. Reich nudged the little spaniel up to the door, and soon the two dogs were seated by the first; the older dogs' tails wagging across the pavement.

"Who da hell is at the door at this ho…Oh!" A man's head appeared through the opened top of the door; a blonde, lightly tanned man with thick-rimmed glasses falling down his face. He grinned at the sight of the two dogs, leaning down over the door to awkwardly try to scratch their ears. "Would ya look who finally paid a visit, it's Captain and Liberty! Maggie! MAGGIE!"

A sigh came from the kitchen before a young woman came to the door, wiping her hands off on an apron. She looked down at the two dogs, a sweet-hearted smile spreading across her lips at the sight of them. "Oh, hello there." She opened the door, gently pushing the loud man out of her way as she knelt to scratch the dogs. "Are you hungry? Alfred, could you get some of the crepes?" She giggled softly when Francis quickly moved to lick at her cheeks, her attempts at pushing him away ending in vain.

Felicity poked her head out, having gotten trapped beneath Reich's legs. The woman's hands soon found her floppy ears, and the gentle coos had her tail wagging. "What's this, you found such a fille douce." Marguerite carefully scooped her hands under the spaniel's front legs before standing to cuddle the dog to her chest. "Precious little spaniel. You boys best take care of her, you hear me?"

"Maggieeee…" whining loudly, Alfred came back balancing a large plate filled with thin, rolled up pastries. "Is it almost time to go? I was supposed to go watch a movie at Iggy's tonight, and he just text me saying Hero won't get off his couch." He chuckled at the end of that, putting the plate down for the two large dogs.

His sister rolled her eyes at the other, carefully putting the spaniel back down among the boys. "And I have a toddler, Alfred." Chuckling softly, she gave each of the larger dogs a quick pat to the head before walking back into the kitchen. "Come on then, let's hurry up so you can save poor Arthur from your dog..."

As the siblings disappeared back into the store, Felicity sat looking at the plate before her. Francis noticed her, chuckling softly as he nosed a roll towards the skittish dog. "Try it, petit. Marguerite makes them special every day."

"They're freaking awesome!" Reich called, lifting his head to grin with a muzzle covered in crumbs. Francis sighed with a soft eye roll, turning back to his crepes.

Giggling softly, Felicity gave the desert roll a final sniff before nibbling the end of it. Instantly her tail began to wag. "It's delicious! Almost as good as Master's pasta!" She gave a soft gasp at the thought of that possibly happening before shaking her head and going back to her food. "Ve~ So good!"

The two older dogs, having finished first, stepped back to sit together. They glanced at each other, amused at the little spaniel digging into her meal, before putting their heads close together. "Francis, we can't take her down-town," Reich whispered, casting the collie a nervous glance. "The hounds there would eat that little frau alive."

Nodding softly, Francis raised a paw to carefully lick it clean. "So we avoid the tracks. Surely your brother can survive a night without big brother Reich to watch over him." Chuckling, the collie bumped shoulders with the shepherd. He turned back, finding Felicity smiling brightly back up to them with her tail nub wagging like a fool. "Shall we, Madame? The night waits for no beauty, even one as great as yours."

Reich gave a soft gag, leading the way out of the alleyway and onto the street. Making sure his fellow canines were on his heels, he began to trot down the road. However, Reich froze as a spot light fell on the trio.

"Run!" He shouted before taking off down the street at a break-neck speed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

The whistles and shouts of the dog catcher still rang in the spaniel's ears as Felicity raced deeper into the city. She had run past the beautiful arching buildings so similar to her master's work, and down into the dark and decrepit structures near the train tracks. A quick glance over her shoulder brought to the spaniel's attention that her escorts of the night were no longer with her, having shot off in random directions in the panic. Felicity let out a high-pitched yelp when her ear got caught under her paw, causing her to tumble across the ground.

The small dog crashed into some trashcans tucked up against the back wall of an alleyway. There she lay awkwardly, eyes wide as her world was flipped over and her rump in the air. As reality sank in, she began to whimper and soon dissolved into a series of puppy-whines and hiccups as she began to cry. "Gi-Giovanniiiiiii…"

"…What's this, did a little kiz wander too far from the city?"

Gasping, Felicity rolled over. Looking down the alleyway, she flattened herself against the concrete and began to back straight back into the trashcan.

A brindle colored pit-bull mix chuckled as he began to walk towards her. The mutt cocked his head lightly to the side, wagging his feathered tail mockingly. "How precious, come here little one. We don't bite much."

"Sadik, you're frightening her." Sitting back at the entry way, a shaggy brown dog sat yawning. He cast the pit mix a warning glance before going back to looking out of the alleyway. Beside him a slender tan dog sat calmly licking its paw, while similar looking pit-mix puppy stood close to Sadik's legs attempting to look intimidating.

The pit-mix scoffed, lowering his head as he crouched to creep closer to Felicity. "Calm down, Heracles… Gupta, don't just sit there. Come help me." Chuckling, Sadik raised his lips in a startling grin. "Here little doggie, we just want to play." He grinned, causing the spaniel to whimper and try to shrink further back until her rump crashed against the wall, stopping her.

A sudden growl caused Sadik to perk his ears and look up. He took a small step back, dragging the puppy to sit by his heels before planting a paw on the pup to pin him to the ground with a soft _hush_. Felicity looked up, watching with wide eyes as a shadow of a hound hopped down from the metal fire-escape ledges to stalk towards the other dogs.

"What are you guys doing?" the newcomer snarled, his haunches raised and ears flat against his head. "Picking on lost dogs is low, even for you guys."

"Don't include us with them," the two dogs at the entrance chimed, each looking at the conflict with bored expressions.

Rolling his eyes, Sadik plopped down on his rump careful to keep the growling puppy between his legs. "We're just trying to have a little fun, Roman. Show the little dog around before taking her home." His answer had the opposite effect that he wanted as the newcomer began to growl deeply. Scoffing, Sadik stood and bent to pick the puppy up by the scuff. "Have it your way then."

Felicity slowly peeked out from her hiding spot, watching the group of hounds leave the alleyway. She flinched when the new dog turned to her, instantly rushing back to her hiding spot and knocking trash down in a miniature avalanche. Whimpering, she nosed her way free, laying there with a soft pant as she closed her eyes.

"….are you alright?"

Gasping, Felicity snapped open her eyes to look up at her hero. The shepherd cocked his head lightly to the side, floppy puppy ears moving with him. He still had the awkward adolescent look about him, a hound of all legs and a thin, brown and white coat. But god above, did he have the bluest pair of eyes that Felicity had ever stumbled on.

"…did you bite your tongue?" At her absence of an answer, the dog began to paw the garbage off of the spaniel. "Don't worry about those other dogs, they won't harm you…" Reaching in, the shepherd gently grabbed Felicity's collar and pulled her free from the remaining pile. "…there you go."

"…wh….a…." Felicity instantly tackled the shepherd and began licking at his face. "Thank you! Thank you! Ve, thank you!"

Sputtering, the shepherd quickly pulled away from the affectionate spaniel, his ears back with wide blue eyes watching her cautiously. "I…Its fine… where uh…" Looking away nervously, he quickly took to scratching at his ear to avoid looking at Felicity. "Where do you live, I'll take you back."

She opened her mouth, only to quickly snap it shut with a whine. "I….I don't remember… One minute we were in the pretty city and then the next…" Felicity's gaze drifted towards the pile of garbage before throwing her head back with another cry. "I-I just want to go home! I want to nap with M-Master and Giovanni an-and eat pasta and I….I… I just want to go hoo-ooo-ooom!"

Panicking, the shepherd looked around as if some outside force could silence the sobbing spaniel before him. Groaning, he raised a paw to place it right on her head, Felicity instantly silencing before moving to look at the awkward hound.

"You…" sighing, he cast Felicity a weary look before snapping his gaze elsewhere. "…You can rest at my place for the night… The city's easier to navigate in the daylight." Standing, he turned to walk out of the alleyway. Realizing he wasn't stopping, Felicity quickly raced after the shepherd. "I'm Roman by the way," he muttered, glancing to the short dog from the corner of his eyes.

"….F-Felicity," she whimpered back, looking up at him. He quickly turned away at her gaze and Felicity couldn't help but giggle softly at it.

He led them through a series of maze-like passages until the buildings dissolved and broken fields appeared. Felicity faltered a moment, looking around as Roman walked down the worn train-tracks. Noticing the spaniel no longer at his side, he paused to look back at her. "…Felicity?"

Snapping her eyes away from the vast area of open space, Felicity raced to catch up to the shepherd. "S…sorry… I've just never seen such open space before." Occasionally her eyes would drift over to the fields that bled into forests acres away. "…I've never seen that many free trees before. It's beautiful."

Roman glanced down to Felicity, feeling his tail start to wag along with hers at the look of excitement on her face. Looking to the side, he paused at the sight of an old water tower dangerously leaning towards the abandoned tracks. "We're here," he muttered, walking over to the tower with the spaniel rushing after him.

He nudged aside a ratty cloth with his nose, letting Felicity walk into the turned over box first. As he followed her, he saw the spaniel sitting in a back corner shivering and watching him with wide copper eyes. "…try to get some sleep, Felicity." Flopping to the ground, Roman turned his back to the spaniel and closed his eyes. "We'll find your way home tomorrow when my bruder gets home… He knows this city better than anyone."

Roman sighed softly as he listened to the constant steady drip of water against the roof of his home. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open when he felt soft fur press up against his back. Whipping his head around, Roman watched as Felicity nuzzled her nose beneath her paws, curled up and pressed against his spine with small shivers running through her. He paused, looking away again with a thoughtful face before heaving a sigh and rolling over. The spaniel flinched at the shepherd's movement, but soon settled back in against Roman with her little tag wagging.

"Thank you, Roman." A soft lick to his cheek accompanied her appreciation before Felicity nuzzled beneath the shepherd's neck, ignorant to the other staring at the curtain with a mental groan.


End file.
